We caught up with Sam Wade, Managing Director of Shute Harbour Marina Resort, to find out more about this world-class new marina, residential and retail precinct in the Whitsundays.

How unique is it to have a new world-class marina being built at the gateway to the Whitsundays?

Very unique. Considering the locality and the time and resources required with putting a project of this size together there may never be anything else quite like it.

What factors make Shute Harbour Marina Resort special?

As one of the biggest residential-resort projects in North Queensland in more than a decade, Shute Harbour Marina Resort will be a transformational development destined to become the region’s premier lifestyle and leisure precinct – the perfect place to live, work and play.

Shute Harbour is a picturesque bay situated in The Whitsundays around 10 minutes’ drive from the heart of Airlie Beach on the Whitsunday Shire coastline, 25km north-east of Proserpine and 100km north of Mackay.

Shute Harbour Marina Resort will offer a sheltered port close to more than 74 idyllic islands where people from all over the world come to enjoy a tropical lifestyle and a pristine natural landscape. The new marina will be the closest mainland marina to the Whitsunday Islands. We are offering waterfront ocean living options and direct access to nature’s playground, built to world-class standards with a range of amenities on offer. The Marina Village will comprise of the mixed retail and commercial Pier 61, which will house restaurants, cafes, and a swimming pool, as well as managed apartments with resort club facilities for berth owners.

What makes Shute Harbour Marina Resort and the Whitsundays such an appealing place to call home?

Not only is it private and peaceful, it offers mainland facilities while feeling like you are on one of the islands. Whether it’s time on the water, or adventures on the mainland with access to the incredible Tropical North Queensland bush, the vast array of experiences is truly unique.

Can you share some background on the history of the harbour, new marina and surrounding community?

Shute Harbour takes its name from Shute Island, approximately 500m south-east of the headland. Shute Harbour was made a suburb of the Whitsundays in 1987 by Whitsunday Regional Council. It offers private residential living for the small community living at Shute Harbour with the newly re-developed Shute Harbour Terminal operated by the council. It is surrounded by Conway National Park, scenic lookouts and walking tracks.

How long has this development been in the pipeline?

The Shute Harbour Marina Resort project has been in the planning and approval stage for almost 25 years. This has been a rigorous process across multiple levels of government with significant milestones achieved.

Can you give us an overview of the Shute Harbour Marina Resort development as a whole?

The project is set out in three stages, the first being earthworks, land lots and berths. Stage Two includes our commercial precinct Pier 61 and our luxurious waterfront apartments followed by Stage Three, the Resort.

Talk us through some specific features of the marina itself.

Shute Harbour Marina will deliver a host of benefits to the local community and visitors by hosting world-class facilities, access to the foreshore with walkways and promenade. While the location speaks for itself, we have utilised every means possible to integrate as much of the surrounds to provide a tropical paradise lifestyle. Offering 99-year leases on berths and multiple living options, we look at Shute Harbour Marina Resort as a very exclusive opportunity to both rest and play.

How many berths will the marina encompass and what sized vessels will be catered for?

With 395 berths from 10m to 45m encompassing both mono and multihull, Shute Harbour Marina will be built to world-leading international standards, catering to all yachting and boating needs.

Can you talk us through the properties and moorings on offer at Shute Harbour Marina Resort

We have many options currently available to purchase. We are selling our mono and multi hull berths followed by our land-only option or our land and berth packages and eventually we will be releasing our apartments.

Talk us through the lifestyle on offer for boaties who purchase a property at Shute Harbour Marina Resort.

Set to become a world-class precinct, Shute Harbour reimagines a tropical paradise for those who seek to live, work, and play in the Whitsundays. Incorporating leading-edge environmental design, Shute Harbour Marina Resort will offer the finest resort-style living, private accommodation for the yachts and cruisers, premium retail and commercial amenities in an exquisite waterfront setting.

The absolute waterfront residences will come complete with a 25m marina berth for the ultimate tropical waterfront lifestyle, that allows residents to leave their front door and step aboard their safely moored yacht to explore the natural riches of Australia’s boating playground.

Are there local marine trades in the Shute Harbour area that boaties can utilise to service their vessel?

Our commercial precinct Pier 61 will offer marine workshops and chandlery for all berth owners to ensure maintenance and longevity of their vessels.

Beyond the beautiful homes and moorings, what other kinds of amenities and facilities will Shute Harbour Marina Resort encompass?

A Marina Club, Charter Boat Base, Emergency Services and Sea Rescue Centre, Cultural Centre, Community Cyclone Shelter and food and beverage outlets in Pier 61. The approved plans provide for such retailers as a tavern, bottle shop, chemist, boat chandlery, boutiques and other retail. Exclusive to berth owners, the Marina Club will also be serviced by the Tavern to provide food. Berth owners will also have use of the pool and recreation space allocated in the resort complex.

How will this development benefit locals and the wider region?

Tourism is the essence of the Whitsunday Coast. Shute Harbour, set to be a world-class marina precinct, will attract more local, interstate, and international visitors. By focusing on high-quality amenities and services, a sustained tourism injection to the region is guaranteed. Hundreds of new jobs can be expected through Shute Harbour Marina, from the construction phase to completion. Shute Harbour Marina will offer employment opportunities within the resort, in restaurants, retail outlets, and other service facilities.

A purpose-built Indigenous Cultural Heritage Centre will provide an iconic tourism facility showcasing the Aboriginal culture of the Gia and Ngaro people. The multi-functional facility will include cultural displays, performance areas, meeting places, the retail sale of Aboriginal arts and crafts and a tourism and interpretive centre.

A cyclone shelter will be built within the marina precinct to provide critical emergency shelter to residents and visitors. Shute Harbour Marina has also committed to establishing a Reef Conservation Fund to support the protection and conservation of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Talk us through the public spaces within the marina development.

A key focus for the Shute Harbour Marine Resort design team has been to ensure public accessibility throughout the marina development through integrated public spaces with tropical landscaping and promenades. These will provide the local community with unrestricted access to the waterfront as well as the various tourism, boating, retail, hospitality, and commercial facilities.

The design of the street furniture, artwork and sculptures will reflect engagement with the Ngaro and Gia First Nations people for naming public spaces and providing interpretive, discovery and educational cultural elements integrated into the artwork, signage and landscape.

What kinds of buyers are being attracted to Shute Harbour Marina Resort?

We’re seeing locals drawn to the project, especially those who love boating, because the level of amenity that is being planned is second to none in the region. Local buyers who already know and love the Whitsundays want to take advantage of the incredible value on offer for waterfront land in this stunning location.

Many of our buyers are also from interstate. They are either seeking relief from the cold climate or looking to buy now and retire here in the future or build their ideal second home to enjoy down the track. The construction phase is also proving an advantage for those working on their timeline for a build in the future.

Speaking of timings, what are the timelines looking like for Shute Harbour Marina Resort?

Construction is expected on Stage One to commence late 2023, on the marina and the land surrounding the marina. Following that, we have estimated two-to-three years to complete the civil works from the commencement date. Local contractor East Coast Civil has been awarded the head contract for all marine and landside civil works.

Lastly, if you had to sum up the vision for Shute Harbour Marina Resort in a sentence, how would you describe it?

A future world-class marina, residential and retail precinct set to become the jewel in the crown of the Whitsundays.

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